Todd:

Well, welcome back to the podcast. We have a tremendous guest here to speak to us from the U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Lore Aguayo. Welcome. Thanks for being here,

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Todd, thank you so much. It is such a pleasure for me to be here, this great Phoenix Navy Week, back in my hometown of Tempe, and I couldn't be happier. It's already been a fantastic day.

Todd:

Well, we are very thrilled to have you. We don't get to see a lot of Navy people, so we're great to see all the white uniforms this week for Navy Week here in Phoenix. Why don't we start with a little about you. You mentioned you're from Tempe. Tell us a little bit about you, and your career, and then maybe something about you that we wouldn't know, that's not on your bio.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Okay, all right. Well, let me say originally I was actually born in Mexico, in Guadalajara, Mexico. My family immigrated to Arizona. I came to Tempe when I was about five years old, and it's a pretty-

Todd:

Much different then.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Much different than?

Todd:

Tempe was very different.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Oh, very different. Every time I come back to visit, I just can't believe what I see. But, we moved here, again when I was five years old. And so, basically all of my schooling from first grade on through high school was in this area, in Tempe. This is what I call home. My family is still here. My parents, my siblings, and their family. So, when you're in the military and somebody says where you're from, you never know how to answer that, because we move around so much.

Todd:

From everywhere.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

But I do say I'm from Tempe, so this is home. So, my story really a little bit is, being from Mexico, honestly, a non-military family, I did not know much about the United States Navy, for that matter, any military, really, any of our services. When I was in high school, I was a junior, starting to think about what colleges I wanted to go to. And I was very fortunate that my high school counselor, Mr. Del Torre, he actually called me in one day, and he said, "You know, the Naval Academy recruiters are in town, and they're going to be here on our campus, and I think you should go listen to them." And my response was like, "The who? The what? What's a Naval Academy?"

Todd:

Typical kid. Right?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I had no idea what he was referring to.

Todd:

Yeah.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

But that is kind of where my journey began. I did go listen to their spiel, and I was almost immediately hooked. At the time, I knew I wanted to be an engineer of sorts. I loved math.

Todd:

Okay, so you were half way there.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I knew that that was already kind of a path. And in particular, I was thinking about some sort of... Either oceanography, ocean engineering type of field. I love the ocean, always loved the ocean, and of course being a little landlocked here in the Phoenix area, but wanted to get myself out towards the water. And so, when I listened to what they had to say, I was already running. I was running track and cross country. So, between all of the different disciplines that you learn at the academy, and that they spoke to, really resonated with me.

So, I went home that day and told my parents that I wanted to join the United States Navy, and my parents literally almost fell out of their seat. It was, "Where in the world did this even come from?" But they were very supportive. There was one catch. At the time, we were U.S. residents, but we did not have our citizenship yet. And so, I told them, in order for me to do this, I had to go through the citizenship process, and of course, and not only that, you need to get a nomination from one of your congressmen, and I went through all that process.

Todd:

It's a big deal for anybody.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It is, it is. And it was quite the process. I did interview with pretty much all of our senators and congressmen. Senator McCain at the time wanted to give me a nomination, but he said, "Hey, you need to be a citizen." So, we were very fortunate to get some help, and were able to go through that citizenship process. And so, during this whole time I applied to the Naval Academy, I also looked at our OTC options. I just spent the morning at Arizona State with them at Shipman there, with the NROTC unit there. And unfortunately, back then, they did not have Navy ROTC at ASU. So, that was not really an option for me to go to school there. But, I was fortunate, I was able to get into their ROTC unit at Berkeley. I went to Stanford actually, and did a cross town, they call it a cross town ROTC agreement that they have with Berkeley.

So, ultimately, that was my path. I decided not to go to the academy and I said, "No, let me try this ROTC." And that was where my journey began. I studied engineering. I was commissioned in the United States Navy, in the Civil Engineer Corps. I went into the Navy thinking I wanted to be a surface warfare officer, and then after some of my summer training, I realized I get seasick.

Todd:

Kind of a problem.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

And so, that was a little bit of a problem. So, I asked around, I said, "Well, what else can I do in the Navy, if it's not going out to sea, or flying necessarily?" And said, "Well, if you're an engineer, you can join the Civil Engineer Corps." The CBs, some people know the CBs. And so I went that route. And so when I got my commission back in 1993, I joined the Civil Engineer Corps, and I have spent the last 31 years serving in the Civil Engineer Corps.

Todd:

What a great, great story.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes, absolutely.

Todd:

And your parents must have been so proud.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely. They are my biggest fans. They have been my entire career, after the initial shock of what I wanted to do. Being a young Hispanic girl at the time, it was definitely a different path than I think what my parents thought I would end up doing, but they were very, very proud, and they have visited me pretty much everywhere I've been stationed, and been to all my major events, and yes, I will say they are proud.

Todd:

Well, it sounds like Senator McCain also felt like you were a good fit as well, which is really nice.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely. Like I said, I was grateful for him, and honestly, all the congressmen that supported me during that period of my life, as I was trying to start my journey in the Navy.

Todd:

Well, a great journey, and a great story. So, tell us something about yourself that we wouldn't know that's not on your bio.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Let's see. Well, I love to run, and one of my duty stations in Hawaii, I decided, or I got convinced by some of my crazy friends that we should get into the Ironman training. And so, I did actually complete a full Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico. We went down there for that, and that was another one of my big achievements. It took a lot of training, a lot of focus while I was still working full time, at a pretty busy job. And so, that was one of those things that I really had to dig in deep, and stick with for my training to be able to pull off. But it was a moment, a proud moment, but also one that I won't never do. I also learned this is too much. I'm not doing that one again.

Todd:

Which of the three parts is the most difficult?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Well, for me, I'm a runner, so running was the... Well, I would say it's easiest because of running is what I do, but it is the last event, so by then you're pretty darn tired. But I would say the hardest for me in just all my training and really preparing myself was actually the bike. The bike.

Todd:

The bike? Not the swimming?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

No, I've always enjoyed swimming, so I felt pretty strong on the swim. Not a fast swimmer, but just I feel strong swimming, and a strong runner. The bike was something kind of new for me. Yeah. Yeah.

Todd:

Most people say the swims are great. Good for you. That's tremendous. And of course, our Senator Sinema is a big triathloner as well, and I think did the Ironman, so you share that in common with her, as well. So, Navy Week, I know you're here for our Navy Week. We feel like we're having Navy Week, the Chamber, we're loving every minute of it. But, talk to us about Navy Week, the importance of it, and why Arizona?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes, absolutely. Well, for the same reason when I mentioned when I was young, and somebody mentioned the Naval Academy, or the Navy, and I didn't know anything about it. I knew a little bit about the Air Force. Around here, you hear... Back then you had Williams, and you had Luke, and you still have Luke, of course, Air Force Base. So I knew a little bit about the Air Force. I had met some people in the Air Force, but I didn't know anything about the United States Navy. It's not really around us. I think it's important. We are your United States Navy, we are Arizona's, Phoenix, every U.S. citizen, everybody who we support here in the United States of America, and I think it's important that we come here and we are showing ourselves, and present ourselves to the communities, and show them what it is that we do, who we are in the United States Navy, and all the opportunities that really we bring to anybody who's looking for doing something different, and exciting.

I always say the people that I see who come into the Navy are people who really just want to do something different, something fun, and exciting, and just want to see the world, and get a lot of good technical training, professional development. And so, we are here this week. We kind of are flooding this area. Yes, there's a whole bunch of us running around in white uniforms, but it's been a lot of fun. I was very, very lucky when I got the phone call to ask if I'd be able, knowing that I'm from this area, if I could come as one of the senior leaders in the Navy to come represent the United States Navy, and I couldn't have been happier, more honored to be able to do that, and give back to this community, because this is where it all started for me.

So I do think it's important that everybody know what the Navy is, what we do. Recently, I think everyone has been seeing the Navy much more in the news than we had in the past. When you turn on the news and you see what's happening in the Red Sea, for example, the United States Navy, and our Surface Navy hasn't engaged in that kind of engagement, and what we call the weapons engagement zone that you see, and what's going on in the Red Sea, since basically World War II. And so you see our Navy in action, and I am just so brimming with pride of when I see our sailors, and all the training that they take on for years, and years, and years, and now they're putting it to actually really, really good use, and effective use to keep us safe, and to keep those shipping lanes open.

Todd:

Well, and I said it this morning, we all sleep better at night knowing that the Navy is out there in the world's oceans, because the world is... It could be a dangerous place. And we're also keeping the peace, which is so important, as well.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes, I think in the Navy, obviously our number one goal is keep the peace, like you said.

Todd:

Sure.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Nobody wants conflict. Nobody wants to go to war, much less those of us who wear the uniform, and our families. But we have to be prepared. And so yes, number one goal, keep the peace, but we also need to be ready to respond to crisis. One of the things when you saw what happened in the Middle East is, we are forward. The Navy are the service that's forward deployed all over the world, at any given time. And so, when the president says, "I need you here," it's the Navy that's able to respond immediately, because we don't need to ask permission for access to any land. We just go. And so, we saw that after what happened in October, and in the Middle East, and we were immediately there. And then if it does come to war, we have to go win decisively, and we have to be ready to win decisively.

Todd:

Well, and I think it goes by saying you also transport the Marines.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes, we do.

Todd:

So they go with you, and they're on the beaches first, as well.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I'm sure if they're listening, they'd be like... Well, they'd call us just bus drivers. Right? But no. Yes, I have, as a CB myself, we have a very tight connection. We, the CB support the Marine Corps in the construction that they need as they're moving forward, bridges, any sort of horizontal work, or vertical construction that they need. So, we in the CBs are very tight with the Marine Corps, so they're definitely our brothers and sisters in arms.

Todd:

So as they're hitting the beaches, you all are with them.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

We are. Yeah.

Todd:

Because you've got to provide the infrastructure.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

We do. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. And in Afghanistan, for example, we supported the Marine Corps. In that case, we supported the Army, and a lot of the special forces. We bring construction skills, and so they need us for when they need, like I said, whatever it is that they need to support. A lot of times it's some sort of infrastructure to cross certain pathways, but they may also need to build out their camps. They need a place to live, and we're the ones that are able to come, and support them with that.

Todd:

Jacks of all trades.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Jacks of all trades. We do a little bit of everything. Yes.

Todd:

Absolutely. So when we think about Arizona, clearly we are landlocked, and in a desert, and we have that nice little lake in Tempe. I don't think you could float anything of substance there, but let's also kind of focus on the economic development side of this. Talk to us about the economic development, the economic impact the Navy has on a landlocked state like Arizona.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely, I'd love to. So, there's a number of ways that the Navy impacts Arizona, and really vice versa, right? I mean, it's always a partnership with businesses, and academia. And so, actually this morning, I had the privilege to go out to Palo Verde power plant, and I was so excited for that opportunity, because I remember when I was going to college in California, and I would go drive my car back and forth to the Bay Area, where I went to school, I would, on my way back, whenever I saw it, because I think it was under construction, or it was being commissioned at the time, but whenever I would see... I always felt like, "I'm almost home. I'm almost home."

Todd:

That's true.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

So it was kind of that landmark that, "Okay, you're almost home." So the opportunity to be able to go visit it for me was a tremendous opportunity, and I'm really glad I was able to do so. But that's a good example, where they hire, one out of three of their employees are veterans, and particularly navy veterans, because of course we operate nuclear submarines and nuclear carriers.

Todd:

Which is a specific skill.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It's very, very specific. And so, we got to meet a number of them. They gave us the tour today, who had served in the United States Navy, and now are able to provide that labor support that is very much needed in such an important power plant like Palo Verde is. And so, to me that is certainly one way, is that collaboration of the skill sets that are Navy veterans, once they... Whether they... I always say, whether you do four years or 30 years, service to their Navy, and then they're ready to transition back out into civilian life, I think it's a tremendous opportunity for businesses to look at our technical skills. Navy is highly technical service, and that we're able to come back and then give back into those communities and those businesses. So, that's one good example.

Of course, here in this area in Phoenix, you've got defense contractors, right? My family, my father and my brother worked in that industry. But you have defense contractors, and you have companies like Raytheon, and I have two bosses. One of my bosses is Admiral Coddle, four star Admiral. He was just out in Tucson maybe three weeks ago, visiting Raytheon out there. And of course we've got Intel, as well. So, there's these companies where we work with. Right now, the defense industrial base is something that we're very much focused on in the United States Navy. If you look at where we were in World War II, to where we are today, we have lost that to some degree, and with the environment that we're operating in today, we really need to build up that defense industrial base, and I think there's a lot of opportunity here in Phoenix for that as well. We already have it in some areas, and I think there's more opportunities.

I would say in my business and what I do as a civil engineer, my business is construction. My business is facility management, designs, so architect and engineering firms, environmental firms, and real estate. So, a lot of real estate development. So, in our business, even though we don't have Navy bases here, we do have a Marine Corps base in Yuma, of course, and we do a lot of construction there. So, we hire those contractors that we need to come, and do the construction and the facility maintenance that we need. And I know that there's companies here that support our bases in California, for example, that come from this area, as well.

So when you look at all of that, and you also look at opportunities on the real estate, one thing that we are looking at in the Navy, our infrastructure requirements are so vast because for many years, we were focused on those platforms that we need. We need the carriers, we need the submarines, we need the aircraft, the F-35, but we also need the infrastructure to support those platforms, as well as our people. And the Navy is looking at ways to partner with industry to say, "Well, how can we work together?" Because the Navy can't afford all of those infrastructure needs. There's billions of dollars of needs and requirements.

But I think there's opportunity to partner with industry to see, how can we work together to help build the infrastructure that our Navy needs to support national security, and have those partnership, public private type of partnerships. So that's one thing, where we're already doing it in some areas, like in the energy sector, we do that already, but I think there's opportunities to do it in other sectors of construction, and infrastructure that the Navy needs. Certainly if you look at our shipyards, I know we don't have a shipyard here in Phoenix, but that's an example of ways that we can potentially partner with industry to help us really bring forth the infrastructure we need.

Todd:

Sure, after the Cold War, there was sort of that peace dividend, where things were settled down, but now we have to catch back up.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

We absolutely have to catch back up, and we do need our industry partners to help us with that. I was just at a... Yesterday morning before I flew out here, I was at a small business conference, and really trying to work those partnerships with their small businesses, Secretary Del Toro, the Secretary of the Navy, he's an absolute huge supporter of small businesses, and we want to encourage, and actually I'm proud of... I'm the commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic, so for sure we call it NAVFAC Atlantic, but overall in NAVFAC, we are... Within the Navy, we're the largest contracting acquisition for small businesses. So, we do a lot of work with small businesses, so we're very proud of that.

Todd:

It's so good to hear that. It makes such a difference, and they can be a part of that.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely.

Todd:

So, obviously there's partnerships with business, and probably other entities. What about the university system or the community college system here in Arizona?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes. Yes, thank you. I think there's great opportunities there, too. My father taught for a little while at Mesa Community College for a little bit, after he retired from his industry job, but big supporter of community college. This morning I spent the morning at Arizona State University with our ROTC, NROTC, our Marines, and our Navy midshipman, a very exciting time to be able to spend with them, and I was talking to the CEO of the unit, and she was just... Couldn't say enough about the support that ASU provides the ROTC unit there, in many different ways. But we're very, very grateful for that. We know that the... For example, one way that she said, "Hey, they're doing some research on how exercise impacts military in particular." And ways to be able... If you're a military member and you do a 30-year career, it takes a huge hit on your body.

I just had hip surgery last month, unfortunately, but that's years of running, years of pounding, years of being out in the field with a pack on my back. There's a lot of that that the military members have to go through. So, we appreciate that Arizona State is doing that kind of research, that of course will help us in the Navy, so we can keep people and our sailors healthy. So, a lot of good partnerships. I know the Pat Tillman Center there in Arizona State is also very, very helpful. I spoke to a number of the students who have taken advantage of that opportunity with Pat Tillman Center, and ways to... Whether it's use of the GI Bill, or whether you're looking for other ways to get tuition assistance from the Navy, Pat Tillman Center is really amazing in helping them navigate through that, to make the most of the funding that they're able to receive. So, to make it stretch as long as they can, so they can meet their educational goals. And so, very, very grateful for that as well. I would say with business, we have a program, it's a department of defense program called SkillBridge, and I was very happy to learn when I was at Palo Verde today that they just became members of the SkillBridge. So [inaudible 00:20:37].

Todd:

It's a great program.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It's a great program where we in the Department of Defense partner with businesses, and what we do is when a service member is getting ready to either transition out of the service, or retire, for the last six months, maybe up to a year, the DOD will continue to pay all the benefits and the salary for that sailor, but they then get partnered up with an industry or business that they may be interested in for that transition year, or six months, and help them transition into civilian life, and many times they get hired on by those companies.

So that partnership is tremendous, and I really am grateful for all the companies that participate in that program, because it can be very daunting for our military. The military is terrific. It's wonderful. Like I said, it brings so many opportunities, but it's also its own kind of isolated... When you're in the military, it's separate from the... You don't have that much interaction really with the civilians, so sometimes you don't know how to make that transition. And so, we're grateful for the businesses that work in that program, and help our service members.

Todd:

Well, and to think about some of the most qualified people in the world that are coming out of the military that you could have in your company, making a significant difference. And I think the SkillBridge program is really unique. I will say, I've just heard that the US Chamber actually has a program that helps businesses sort of go through the process.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Oh, good. Good.

Todd:

They're sort of acting as Sherpas, so that if there are complications, they'll help them get through that. And then it is just a huge win-win [inaudible 00:22:07].

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It's a win-win.

Todd:

Service members that's coming out, and gets a great job, and you get a great hire onto your company.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely. All the skill sets that the military bring, the work ethic, the leadership, really the leadership. You're talking about, even if they just do four or five years, these are young service members that what they did in those four or five years in the service, and the people that they were in charge of, or the equipment that they were in charge of, multi-billion dollar equipment in some cases, it's unbelievable what they're able to accomplish, in even if it's just a short period of time, and yes, to be able to just transition into the workforce, and in industry, and bring all of that skillset in, I think it's a win-win for everyone.

Todd:

Well, and I think too, what you do at large is sometimes difficult to translate into sort of a civilian type resume. And having that ability to see those skills really makes a difference, and I think it makes it much easier.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes, yes, you're right. We do struggle with that. I recently wrote my first resume in my career, to be honest, I never had needed one, and that was the feedback I received from somebody who was reviewing. It's like, "Too much terminology, or military, I don't think they're going to know what you're saying in here." So yes, that is always very helpful, to get that help from the eyes of, "Okay, what is industry looking for?"

Todd:

Yeah.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Because it's there, it's just translating it.

Todd:

Yeah, it's a translation. Absolutely, 100%. Well, I want to honor Women's History Month. It's coming up in March. Today, women in the Navy, what is that like? What's that experience like, and how has it changed since you were [inaudible 00:23:45]?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Oh my goodness, that is a great question. I will tell you, Todd, that when I came into the Navy, like I said, I got commissioned in 1993 as a Civil Engineer Corps officer, as an ensign, and at that time, women could not serve in naval mobile construction battalions. Those are CB battalions. So, while I could be a Civil Engineer Corps officer, I could work in NAVFAC, I could work in some smaller expeditionary units, women at the time were not allowed to be in naval... NMCBs, we call them. Naval Mobile Construction, but we actually have some NMCB five members here this week here for the Navy Week here in Phoenix. But at the time, women were not allowed because they were considered combatants.

Todd:

Okay.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

So NMCBs were considered combatants. Women were not allowed on combatants. So, when I received my commission, I was not even allowed to serve in one of those. The law changed in 1994, and I think it took into effect in 1995. And by 1996, so I was in the Navy just a little bit over two years, maybe two and a half years, I had just finished my first tour, which I was very lucky. That was in Rota, Spain was my first duty station, joined the Navy, see the world, and be stationed in amazing locations like Rota, Spain.

Todd:

In a different kind of Spanish.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

In a different kind of Spanish. That's right, that's right. Although that is why I got to go there, because I already spoke Spanish, and so I was fortunate for that. But the law changed, and I was one of the first women to be sent to an NMCB, a CB Battalion as they slowly were starting to integrate women into battalions. So, I was a lieutenant junior grade at the time, and that was kind of the start of my... What I call my expeditionary career.

We have two careers when you're a Civil Engineer Corps officer, you are more traditional construction management, facility management that I mentioned with NAVFAC, and then you have the CBs and they're your operational, right? You're supporting the Marines, you're supporting special forces, you're supporting, in this case, for example, in China, we're planning how would the CB support some sort of event in the Indo-Pacific? So, that's more of the expeditionary side. Our motto is, "We build, we fight." Meaning, our mission is to construct, but we also have to defend it. So, if someone... We're in a defensive mode, we're not offensive, but if somebody comes after us, we must be trained in defending whatever it is that we build, and our people.

Todd:

You're not waving a white flag.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I'm not waiting for the marine to come, or for someone. So, that's what CBs do. So, I ended up going to and NMCB, and it was a bit of a challenge. It was the first time women were coming in, and-

Todd:

You were a pioneer at that point.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

And it was. It was definitely the beginning of that transition. But I will tell you, that was... When I show... 1996, I went to NMCB 5 as, like I said, one of the first women. In 2012, I was commanding a battalion of CBs, NMCB 11, and I was commanding that battalion of 650 men and women in Afghanistan, in a combat deployment that we did for eight and a half months. That's what's changed, from not even being able to serve, to being the commanding officer, in combat, of a CB battalion. So to me, I am incredibly grateful to the United States Navy for allowing the... Opening up those opportunities, and seeing that we have to allow women to serve in all of these positions. The Navy now has all positions open to women. There are no restrictions to women.

Todd:

Submarines.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Submarines. We've got women on submarines. As a matter of fact, we are now sending women for their second tour to submarine. So, some years ago, probably in, I'm trying to remember, in the 2010 period of time, women started going to submarines for the first time. That was their division officer tour. Now they're coming back for their second tour as department head tours, or XOs of submarines. So this is where... It takes time, because women have to go through the pipeline, just like I had to go through my pipeline. But yes, women are in submarines as well. Everything is open to women now. There are no restrictions for women in the Navy.

There are always challenges, of course. Change is difficult for any human being. But for me, I look back, and I could not be prouder of what the Navy has done and how they're really focused on change. Women make up over 50% of our population. I think 51 to 52% of college graduates, and if we're not going after that workforce, shame on us. So, we need women in the military. It is a tremendous place to serve. I will tell you, in the Navy in particular, just yesterday, there was a message... Oh, let me mention our chief of naval operations, Lisa Franchetti, amazing. I served with her out in Italy, and when she was at Six Fleet, and first female service chief. And there she is, leading our entire United States Navy.

So, you see all the change that has happened in the Navy, and we're very excited about that. She has established, and just came out yesterday, these women initiative teams that she wants to ensure that... We already have a women's policy group, but now every major community group is going to have a team, to help make sure that we're providing that support, and ideas, what needs to change in the Navy to help support women in the Navy.

We are undergoing this culture change. We call it Get Real, Get Better, in the United States Navy, where we self-assess, self-correct, and then we learn from our experiences. And this initiative of the women's teams that came out just yesterday, was a result of getting real, and getting better, really assessing where we needed to make some change, and there was still a need to be more focused on women's health, for example. Women have different health needs, and I think there is still a little bit of a gap.

Todd:

[inaudible 00:30:08] the one size fits all approach.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely not. And so, the Navy recognizes that, and they want to be able to make sure that we are meeting all the women's health needs. So, that's an area women now get... Actually women and men, and mothers and fathers get 12 weeks of maternity and paternity leave. That's a huge change from when I came in. So, I think the Navy is really looking at how do we take care of our sailors, and their needs, so that both men and women see the Navy as the best place to work, and we can retain the best talent. And so, I'm very, very proud of the changes that have happened, and I've had many experiences. It's... Being a woman in this kind of environment, there will always be challenges, but you learn from them, and you move on.

Todd:

Well, and to your point about the need for people, to have half your population sidelined makes absolutely no sense.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely.

Todd:

Especially today, in the world we live in.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I agree. I mean, you really look at so many women, and I'm seeing it right now, when I look at the service and I see... I actually had the opportunity to attend, and be the guest speaker at a bootcamp. And when I looked across and at the Great Lakes, in Chicago, and I looked out, and I saw so many women out in the audience, I couldn't be prouder. I'm like, "These women who want to serve, they want to serve their nation." They see opportunities, of really diverse backgrounds, and it is really exciting. And now we have to make sure that we're retaining that talent as well.

Todd:

And that's such an important point, but also equally important, this is service. This is service to your country, and it's such an important part, and to see so many people wanting to do that. Really, it definitely is a good thing about our modern America. We got a little briefing yesterday about our newest submarine, which maybe, for those of people who are watching or listening who don't know about it, maybe you can talk a little bit about this new submarine.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Absolutely. It's very, very exciting. Yeah, I know part of this Navy Week was to really launch this exciting news. So, hopefully the public knows and remembers the USS Arizona, our battleship that was obviously attacked during Pearl Harbor in 1941. And I actually served as the Public works officer in Pearl Harbor, and it was such an honor, and privilege for me to be serving there, and it was my job to maintain some of the historic landmarks that we have there. Every time I went to the USS memorial, and you stand on that memorial, and you look down because you can see the Arizona battleship, but you can see the outline of the battleship when you're standing over it, it is the most moving moment, to think what happened on that day, and over 1100 people passed away on that attack, and very, very horrific. And of course, due to that attack, we entered World War II.

But since then, we have not had another naval vessel named after Arizona. And so, we are very excited that under construction right now is one of our newest, most modern submarines, nuclear submarines, attack submarine. And it's a Virginia class block V submarine. So, really, absolutely the latest technology, latest and greatest in the world of nuclear, navy, as well as our submarine technology that we have. And she will be named... She'll be the SSN Arizona. So, very, very excited about that. And so, we're here to kind of make sure everybody knows that we will continue to honor, as well, the battleship, and all of the crew that passed away on that day. And unfortunately, all those that didn't, that now... There were survivors, but we're losing our survivors, unfortunately. Of course, time does pass, but we want to continue the honor, and the memory, and it couldn't be better than, like I said, one of our most capable warships that we have in this Virginia class submarine.

Todd:

Well, and I can tell you we're thrilled. We have the USS Arizona Legacy Foundation led by Tanya Wheeless, who where we are going to go all in. We are all in, and making sure that our crew has all the support they need, and that it is all about them. And of course, we're going to have really great things representing our state on that submarine. So, we are just absolutely thrilled.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Todd, I'll tell you, this morning when I was at Palo Verde, we had a part of the crew with us, the initial commissioning crew that is trying to get everything ready. So, once the ship is ready to go, they need to train the crew, got to have everything ready to go. And I got to meet two, both the CO, but also two of the young sailors. I was blown away. These sailors have been in the Navy two and a half years, maybe, at most three years. They are already second class petty officers. They are the best that we have.

Our sailors that go into our nuclear community in the Navy are the brightest, intelligent, most capable young men and women. And when I saw them, and yes, they're young sailors, but my goodness, they're second class petty officers already, they've got their... We call their dolphins, right? The dolphin. They earn their qualifications and they earn their dolphins, and they're so eager, and excited to be able to serve on their submarine, and take so much honor and pride in it. Again, to be able to lead these sailors is such a privilege.

Todd:

That is a unique brand of individual.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

Todd:

It's great to see. When we were hearing about the new boat, we heard it's a 40-year life cycle, generally. And we think about, for instance, if you think about an iPhone 1, which is what, maybe 15 years ago? It's just obsolete. How are we going to keep something that's so sophisticated, so important, and so lethal, current over a 40-year lifespan?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

That's a really good question. I would say first of all, the technology that goes into these, obviously there's incredible engineering that goes into it. There are ways... The ships have a maintenance schedule. So when they go out and do their deployments, and then they come in and do this whole refresh, we pull them... As a matter of fact, one of my jobs is to build new dry docks for some of these new platforms, because they're bigger, and different configuration of, whether it's our new Ford class carriers, or our Columbia ballistic submarine, or the type Vs of the Virginia class submarines. But there are different configurations.

So, my job as a civil engineer is to make sure that the infrastructure is there, so that when they come into maintenance, or they need to pull in pier side, because it requires certain energy as well and power requirements, all of that is different. For every time we build one of these new type of classes, then we've got to make sure that we can power them, and we can maintain them properly. But they have their cycle of being able to come in, and I spend a lot of my time now in the shipyards, because we're doing so many projects, and you see... And these are all public shipyards owned by obviously our taxpayers, but these are navy shipyards. They're not the commercial shipyards.

Todd:

Okay.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

So, a lot of this work, especially on our nuclear submarines is done organically, by Navy, civilians, but they are United States Navy employees, and they get into those ships, and they start to retrofit. I've seen it. I've walked through our submarines when they're working on them, and I see they go through everything to make sure that it is in fact the latest and greatest, and they're always, like you said, there's always updates, and changes, but they have a really good cycle of bringing the ships in, the submarines in, and making sure that they're going through their maintenance period of... We call it avail periods, and switching out anything that needs to be switched out, or maintaining anything that needs to be maintained.

Todd:

Which makes a lot of sense. And it can't just be a normal shipyard. It has to be something secure, and you certainly can't plug in a-

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It's very secure, yes.

Todd:

... An extension cord to something like that. It has to be very specialized.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

They are very, very specialized. Yes.

Todd:

Well, thankfully we have that. As we wrap up, a two-part question. What would you say, or what do you say to a young woman, or a man who is thinking about the military but just not sure?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I said it to the midshipman that I spoke to this morning at Arizona State, and I looked out in the crowd, and some young, some of them are very young, obviously I'm older now. I've been in the Navy 31 years. But I looked out at the crowd, and I said, "You are so lucky. I wish... If I could do it all over again, I would put on those tennis shoes with you guys, and start all over again." When I started my journey, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I really didn't. Like I said, I did not come from a military family. I knew nothing about the... As a matter of fact, I remember my little bootcamp I had to take before I started college, and I couldn't understand why they kept yelling at me. "I'm not doing anything wrong. Why are you yelling at me?" I was beyond myself. Not having that military background, and understanding the concept.

I mean, I came in knowing, like I said, nothing. But I did come in excited about the opportunity that I heard that the Navy brings. So, after the initial shock of being yelled at all the time, and by the way, the Navy is a much kinder Navy now, but I would do it all over again. I have had an amazing journey. Every couple years... You do your initial commitment four to five years, and I tell every young person, "Look, whether you do four years, or you do 30 years, you are serving your nation, and there is nothing more rewarding than serving your nation."

This is the United States of America. Having come from a different country, I was granted this incredible gift to really be able to be raised in this beautiful country. And for me to be able to serve, and give back to a country of tremendous opportunity. So, first of all, whether you do four or you do 30, you're serving your country. And oh by the way, during that period of time, you're going to get trained in a skillset that you'll be able to carry on for the rest of your career. You'll get educational benefits, you'll travel and see the world. You get life insurance, you get housing, you get all these other benefits, things that you don't even think about, access to gyms and pools and all these things.

It really is a tremendous opportunity. But truly being able to serve, while gaining leadership experience, and gaining technical experience in the career field that you choose is just incredible. So, if you do it four years and you decide to go home, then go take those skills, and good on you. If you decide to make it your... You be one of our senior leaders, then even better. But whatever it is, we need you, and they will... No question in my mind, I tell them, I have no question that you will never have a boring day when you serve in the United States Navy. Every day is exciting, and you will serve with the most quality people that our nation has to offer. The comradery in the military, you hear a lot about it. It's real. It's really there.

And I think about everyone I've served with my entire career, and they're family. To me, it's family. It becomes your family. So, that's what I tell them, go for it. Serve, and then you can make a decision. Four years go by. You and I know, four years, I mean for a young person, they think, "Oh, four years seems like forever." But it's not. It's not. And what they can take away will stay with them forever. So, I encourage all young people. I encourage our parents who may think, "I don't know. I hear a lot of my friends who say, 'I don't want my son or daughter. I'm afraid for them.'" I would encourage them to please open up, and listen to those opportunities that their children might have because it has been a ride of my lifetime, and I would do it all over again, and I recommend it to all my... I actually have three nephews that ended up joining, and I will continue to do so.

Todd:

A unique privilege.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes.

Todd:

Well, and that was my second part. Mama e papa, or mom and dad that are saying, "No, no, not my kid," you're saying, "Let them try it."

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Let them try it, let them grow up and try it. They will come back more mature, stronger, skilled, and the leadership that they will gain. I recall, like I said, when I told my parents, they just had no idea where it came from. When those Naval Academy recruiters, they actually came to my home to meet my parents, and I remember sitting in our living room, same house that my parents still live in, and they came in, in this white uniform, and to this day, my mom remembers when those men in white uniforms came to our house, and sat down on her couch, and talked to them about the Navy. And she felt so much more comforted that, "Yes, it's different, it's a different career field, but that is just the exciting part about it." And so, my parents were all in, and supported me every single day beyond that. So, yes.

Todd:

Clearly, a great family. And I think with those, I shouldn't say kids, those young people today, it certainly wasn't a hard sell, what you just talked about. That was absolutely honest, and right from the heart. So, I think we're going to have some new members of the armed forces.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I certainly hope so. It's like I said, it's an experience. And of course, any of the services, they all have their niche, and depending on what you're interested, I encourage the Navy. I think the Navy's fantastic. I'm a little biased, but again, I love the ocean. We do have the best duty stations. There is no question. You can ask anybody. Hands down, the United States Navy has the best. We're always by the water, some really nice locations. Like I said, I've been stationed in Rota, I've been stationed in Naples, Italy, San Diego, you name it, Jacksonville, Florida, some really nice locations.

Todd:

That sounds absolutely wonderful. I want to thank you for spending so much time with us, for your service to our country. It's not lost on us. It is also a sacrifice. What we're going to do, we're going to finish up with a quick lightning round, I promise it's easy.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Okay.

Todd:

We're going to start with what you just said. Favorite duty station or port?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Favorite duty station? Rota, Spain.

Todd:

Okay. Why?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

You need to go to Rota, Spain.

Todd:

Okay. All right. That's enough.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It's Spain.

Todd:

Yes.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

It's España, right?

Todd:

Yes, exactly.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Okay.

Todd:

Absolutely. Okay, now we're going to move away from... We've done a lot of military. We're going to go to a young person here starting out. What was your first job?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Washing pots and pans at the university.

Todd:

What'd you learn?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I learned that if I really organize myself, I can get it all done in one hour, and I could make 20 bucks. And I'm like, "Okay, you just have to organize yourself, be disciplined about it." And then I was able to walk away with 20 bucks a day. So, a little extra cash.

Todd:

You just defined a glass is half full kind of person. Okay. First car?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Oh, my first car was a Volkswagen Golf.

Todd:

Oh, all right. Excellent.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes.

Todd:

Stick shift I hope.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes.

Todd:

Excellent. Good.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Yes, stick shift.

Todd:

Good answer. And then the final one, first concert?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Journey. And I'm going to go see them again.

Todd:

We have the first concert.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I can't believe... It was here. It was 14. I went to see Journey. And it's funny you asked that because a dear friend of mine who's now retired from the Navy, just yesterday, bought us tickets to go see Journey out in Norfolk, Virginia, where I'm stationed right now.

Todd:

Excellent. Did you see them at Compton Terrace here?

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Oh gosh, I don't even remember. It was back when I was, was 14.

Todd:

Okay [inaudible 00:46:40] probably, yeah. Compton Terrace, back in the day, yeah,

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

I think it was Phoenix, but it was a long time ago.

Todd:

Well, we have the same first concert, which by the way, that's the right answer. Journey. Well, thank you again.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

All right.

Todd:

Really appreciate your time, and this is always home, so we'd love to have you back whenever you're able.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Thank you, Todd. And again, I want to thank all the businesses that help support our veterans. It moves me, it touches me to know that we have the support of business, of industry, and of this whole community here in Phoenix, and in Arizona. It is a very military friendly state, and we're very grateful for that. Thank you.

Todd:

All you have to do is ask.

Rear Adm. Aguayo:

Thank you.

Todd:

Thank you.